Customer Reviews

X-Men: From The Ashes

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This TPB reprints Uncanny X-Men #168-176. It tells of Angel's kidnapping by the underground mutant outcast group known as the Morloks, Cyclops meets Madelyne Pyor (who is a clone of Jean Grey created by Sinister), Wolverine's marriage in Japan with Mariko and introduces Rogue into the X-Men.

This collection of stories is pretty good and the art is the standard of the time, which was in the early '80s. I still think Marvel charges way too much for their TPBs, but it doesn't really make your wallet bleed anywayz. But it's a pretty good read if you want to know some more background info on the X-Men.

This book reprints Uncanny X-Men 168-176 (from 1983), featuring the introduction of Madelyne Pryor, the first appearance of the Morlocks, the story of how Rogue joined the X-Men, the almost-wedding of Wolverine and Mariko Yashida, and the ongoing subplot of Madelyne's uncanny resemblance to Jean Grey: is she the Phoenix reborn? The story, which is a sequel to the epic "Dark Phoenix" saga from 1980, draws to a conclusion in the double-length issue 175, featuring one of the most gripping X-Men battles ever, as one lone X-Man fights against his teammates and friends for a love that may never be. This is all masterfully told by Chris Claremont, with illustrations that are simultaneously simple and magnificent by Paul Smith and Bob Wiacek, with a little help from John Romita Jr. and Walt Simonson. This is X-Men adventures at their best.

A grieving Scott Summers lost his true love Jean Grey, when she killed herself to save the world from the overpowering Phoenix. Now he's met Madeline Pryor, who has an uncanny likeness to his former love...very uncanny!

Meanwhile, Wolverine prepares for his marriage to the Japanese beauty, Mariko; Storm gets a new look and becomes the leader of a unlikely group of mutants; Kitty starts exploring her love for Peter/Colossus; and an enemy seeks help from the X-Men.

I enjoy "From the Ashes." The artwork is classic and the story is entertaining and adventurous. And this is a highlight in Claremont storytelling.

If you're an X-Men fan, you'll like this.

This book collects the Uncanny X-Men #168-176. The title was just starting to get better after a period of mediocre stories. This introduces Maddy Pryor and tells of her relationship with Scott Summers. Chris Claremont is one of the greatest comic writers of all time, and Paul Smith does a fairly good job illustrating it. I recomend you get the first three volumes of Essential X-Men first, so you know what is going on. Recomended.

The main plot thread in the group of issues in particular focuses on the first appearance of Madelyne Pryor, a woman who bears more than a striking resemblence to the late Phoenix, aka Jean Grey, and the X-Men are left to wonder: could she somehow be Phoenix herself, miraculously reincarnated? Complicating matters further, Cyclops is starting to get attracted to her. Meanwhile, the mutant illusionist Mastermind has returned after being driven insane by Phoenix, and wants nothing more than to get revenge on the woman that stripped him of his sanity... and with her gone, Madelyne will be the next best thing!

Highlights include the first appearance of the Morlocks, Rogue joining the team, a very well done two-parter in which Wolverine and Rogue join forces to save the life of the former's fiancee, and a double-sized issue which features Cyclops holding his own against the entire team, more than showcasing that, despite what fans think, particularly after his portrayal in the live action films, he's definitely not a lightweight. Scott's the X-Men team leader for a reason.

Paul Smith, having a brief run on the title, does a pretty good job with the pencils, with ever-talented John "I've drawn every Marvel character to ever exist" Romita Jr. taking over at the end in the start of his first run on the title. And of course, there's Chris Claremont himself, the man who carried the title as writer for 15 years. The dialogue may feel a little dated being over 20 years old, but Claremont's charm he gives to the characters continues to shine through. This features some key moments that would go on to become a big part of the X-Men mythos, and is definitely worth a look (assuming you can find a copy).

Ask any comic reader who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s to name their favourite X-Men stories of all time and you usually get the usual "Dark Phoenix Saga" or "Days of Future Past". But if you really want to know the REAL reason why the X-Men were the hottest comic characters in those decades, you gotta check out this volume. It has everything that makes the X-Men what they are. Great character moments, milestones, multiple plotlines, fantastic action and camaraderie. This volume highlights creators Chris Claremont and Paul Smith at their best. We get Wolverine's wedding and rejection by Mariko, the Silver Samurai Saga, Rogue's entry into the X-Men, the first (and best) Marauders story with Storm winning the leadership from Callisto, Caliban's crush on Kitty Pryde, the first appearance of Lockheed, Kitty's pet dragon and finally, Madelyne Pryor's first appearance and wedding to Scott Summers. Is that enough for you or not? Read this again and see why the X-Men comics were the most potent "drug" on the newstands in the 1980s!

This book reprints Uncanny X-Men 168-176 (from 1983), featuring the introduction of Madelyne Pryor, the first appearance of the Morlocks, the story of how Rogue joined the X-Men, the almost-wedding of Wolverine and Mariko Yashida, and the ongoing subplot of Madelyne's uncanny resemblance to Jean Grey: is she the Phoenix reborn? The story, which is a sequel to the epic... it is also my first i loved the phonex and stuff

Why only 3 stars out of a possible 5?
To begin, it is a bit overpriced. The reason for this is not because Marvel Publishing listed it at, let's say... $29.99 in the US. No, actually, back when my trade was published in 1993, the list price was $16.95, which was a bit of a steal back then, but even more today considering what most fairly mediocre trades ask for. I assume sellers are taking advantage of the fairly new condition they've kept this trade in since then, in addition to the obvious fact that these issues haven't been reprinted in color by Marvel Masterworks or the like - making this pretty difficult to find. I don't like that.

Secondly, the characterization is more like "boom, there you go".
Examples: Scott meets a red head who looks like Jean named Madelyn Pryor towards the beginning of this collection, and by the end, they are on their honeymoon. Rogue runs off to Xavier's school and despite her criminal background, Charles instantly welcomes her not only into his school, but onto the X-Men. Angel is kidnapped by the Morlocks to be Callisto's intended - the reason being that she thinks he's hot. Also on the topic of Callisto and the Morlocks, Storm wrestles control from her and takes over, only to leave with the X-Men. Carol Danvers leaves the X-Men (understandably) after this event, and later without any introspection, is the newest addition to the Starjammers. Storm meets up with Yukio in Japan one night, and the next morning, she's adopted her infamous 80s punk look to reflect her sudden change in personality.

One redeemable aspect of this book, however, is that it pulls a lot of characters into the X-Men continuity, some brand new, and some unexpected old ones. There's a lot of questionable things going on in this collection that aren't resolved in this story, but later develop into some of the more exciting chapters of the 80s. There is where this collection finds purpose.

All things considered, 3 out of 5 stars is generous. I would recommend that those interested in the issues collected (168 - 176) wait until Marvel Masterworks publishes it in their collection, however, they seem to be dragging their feet on that, and it probably won't be out for at least a year or two. If you're still really aching to read "From The Ashes" then by all means.

I've been a fan of the X-Men for years and years now, and I have to say, this is one of my all time favorite X-Men graphic novels. It chronicles some truly great moments from X-Men history. The two chapters concerning the X-Men's visit to Japan, the tragic, failed wedding of Logan to Mariko, and Wolverine's ultimate battle with the Silver Samuraii, is the stuff that made X-Men one of the greatest dramatic-action comic book series of all time.

The younger generation of comics fans who got hooked during the wacky 1990's/Jim Lee/Rob Liefield/Image years will probably overlook the simplistic beauty of Paul Smith's artwork. But his subtle handling of facial expressions, his accuracy with human anatomy, and his technique for panel-to-panel storytelling is flawless. As a kid of the 80's who is now a working professional artist, I learned more about the basic craft of drawing comics from looking at Paul Smith's work in these stories than I did from "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way."

Claremont's writing here is also superb, with a good balance between the everyday, normal lives of the X-Men, to their crazy, violent adventures, to their mixed-up, emotionally turbulant personal relationships. And of course, his interweaving of many tangled subplots. X-Men books became unnecessarily talky in later years, with dialogue and captions crowding the art, but this volume presents stories from the classic era when Claremont preferred to keep the chatter to a minimum and occasionally even shut up altogether and let the artwork tell the story by itself.

And finally, the fun front-and-back cover illustrations by Art Adams, are just the icing on the cake. This one is worth every nickel.

This is an incredible volume of the X-Men. Big highlights? The introduction of Lockheed and the New Recruits, Rogue's joining the X-Men, Ororo's personality change, Scott's courtship and marriage to yet ANOTHER reincarnated Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor, Logan's tragically failed wedding to Mariko, Ororo's new leadership over the Morlocks and Caliban's crush on Kitty. It truly is a great addition to the collection of any X-Men fanatic.